Conveying and distributing apparatus.



D. FRASER. CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTINQAPPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 20. I915- Patented Ja11. 7, 1919.

glvwe'ntop UNITED STATES PAT NT oEFIoE.

DONALD FRASER, 0E MILWAUKEE, wrsconsm, ASSiGNOR r'o CHAIN EEL'r-COMPANY,

OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OFWISCONSIN.

CONVEYING AND'DISTRIBU'TING APPARATUS.

Specification o1 Lettcrslatent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

Application nleana a0, 1915. Serial m. 29,391.,

"State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Conveying and Distributing Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

y invention relates to conveying and distributing apparatusand has forits object to produce meant; for controllingthe dis-' charge of aconveying receptacle that is adapted to traverse an overhead support, it

beingparticularly adapted for use in connection with abottom-discharging-conveying bucket for receiving the'product. of aconcrete mixing machine and delivering it to the desired place of useand there discharging it. The invention, however, is not 20 limited inits useful applications to the one use here specified.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is aside elevation of suflicientparts .of a concrete mixing and distributing apparatus provided with myinvention to illustrate the latter.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line w'-w of. Fig. 1.

Fig.3 is a view, in side elevation, illustrating another embodiment ofthe invention. r l 1 In the drawings 2 indicates a portion of a concretemixing machine of the rotary drum type, and 3, the framework locatednear the discharge, end thereof. 4 is a bracket supported by theframework in' which is mounted the vertical pivot, 5, of a horizontallyadjustable boom 6 that constitutes a track or way along which travels acarriage 7 from which is suspended a conveying receptacle 8. The latteris preferably in the form of a bucket of the bottom discharge type,being provided for this purpose with a pair of hinged doors 9. These arearranged to open downwardly and to them are connected links or chains 10that are in turn connected with the lower end of a curved locking linkllthe upper end of which is pivoted to an arm 12 rigidly secured to anaxle or cross shaft 13 suitably mounted, as in the carriage 7. A handle14 is secured to the shaft 13 and serves as a means by which the doorsmay be opened and closed manually, and in the present instance istypical of any means, whether man-.

ually or automatically controlled, for closing the doors of the bucket.Automatic means for, this purpose are now so well known that they needonly to be referred to to be understood. The arrangement for controllingthe operati'on of the doors thus far describedis one well known in theart,'being disclosed and claimed in U. S. Patent No. 605,620 to AlfredM. Acklin, andconstitutes a toggle lock that holds the doors. securelyclosed, but is easily tripped and broken at will, allowing the doors toopen by their weight and that ofthe load which they sustain when thebreak of thelock occurs.

A cable 15 is connected with the carriage for causing its traverse alongthe boom 6.

the means for driving this cable, as such means are well known in theart. Sufiice it to say that they are motor driven and under the controlof an attendant having charge of the operation of the appartus.

The parts thus far described are not novel with me, and therefore notclaimed herein.

v In order that the bucket may be dis- .I have not thought it necessaryto 'disclose a free running cable 17. Such cable is in the form of anendless loop supported'upon I pulleys 18 suitably mounted near therespec:

tive ends of the boom. As represented it.

passes'through a perforation in the end of the arm 16, and has stops 19secured fast -to it, one on either side of the arm, so as to insure thatthe cable shall be moved whenever the carriage and conveying bucketmove.

The arm is loosely mounted upon the shaft 13 but is prevented from freerotation in one direction beyond. a certain limit, by a stop 20 carriedby the lock link 11 with which the arm engages, and from free rotationin the other direction beyond a certain limit, by a stop '25 carried bythe frame about its axis of support in the of the carriage 7. rangemcnt15 that if the end of the lock link 11 is pivoted. As soon as the arm 12is turned a short distance the toggle, lock already refprred to and thatserves to hold closed the doors of the receptacle 8becomes broken :indthen the doors open, as'has bepn described. In turning to thedischarging position here indicated, the shaft rotates iiidcpendently ofthe arm 16, which is held. from following the other arts in theirrotat-ive movements by the cable 17. In order to move. the arm 16 andcause a suflicient rotation of the shaft 13 to break the toggle lock forthe doors of the bucket 8, I employ means for arresting thefree'movement of the cable 17, and. as

shown, such means consist of a brake 21 arranged to bear upon one of thepulleys 18 about which the cable 17 passes. and manually controlledmeans for operating the brake. The brake 21 preferably bears against thepulley located near the inner or pivoted end of the boom. and the meansfor operating it consist of a handle 21. prefer ably of bell crank form,a connecting link 23 extending axially through the vertical pivotalsupport for the boom. and a lever 22, this arrangement permitting thebrake to be operated no matter what he the angle to which the boom maybe set.

It will be understood that the-cable runs very freely so that it ismoved by the arm 16 whenever the bucket and its carriage arc caused totraverse the boom. the drag of the cable upon the arm 16 when it is leftfree to run, being insufficient to cause the breaking of the lock thatholds the bucket in chargereceiving condition.

The operation of the apparatus may now be'described. The bucket isbrought back to the inner end of the boom to receive a charge from themixing machine. Either manually or by automatically operating means thedoors 9 are closed and locked. After the bucket receives its load it isrun out along the boom by the cable 15, and as it moves the arm 16travels with it and moves the cable 17, pulling the part. to which it isconnected along with it. As the bucket reaches theiplace when its loadis to be discharged the operator applies the brake 21, and therebyarrests the movement of the cable, while the bucket and its carriage arestill advancing, with the result that the arm 16is rocked, in thedirection of the arrow a. This, as has been described, causes a trippingof the toggle lock of the doors of the bucket, which thereupon open,allowing the load to be discharged. Before the bucket is returned toloading position the brake 21 is released, and as soon as the carsition,the 'cable 17, or the part thereof to which the arm is connected,following the arm on its return movement.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated an arrangement slightly different from thatdescribed. Here the cable 17 instead of being an endless loop supportedupon a pair of pulleys 18, has one end secured-to the upperend of thearm 16 and its other end secured to a. spring-controlled winding drum26. Upon this drum bears a brake 21 like that already described. Inoperating with this form of my invention the cable 17 is drawn off fromthe drum as the bucket and carriage move outward along the boom. Thetripping of the toggle lock is effected as in the other case byarresting the movement of the cable. \Vhen the parts are returned towardthe inner end of the boom the spring 27 connected with the drum 26rotates the latter in a direction to wind up the cable, as will beunderstood.

It is eyident that the cable is a device for operating a lock-thatmaintains the conveying receptacle in load-receiving condition, and ismovable freely back and forth with the said recc tacle; and that thebrake is a mechanical means for arresting the movement of the, saidfreely moving, locking operating device, so as to cause the lock to be,operated to permit the. receptacle to discharge; and my inventionincludes these features whether embodied in the specific arrangementsshown or in other variations, modifications or equivalent forms thereof,

lVhat I claim isii 1. The combination of a supporting framework, a trackextending therefrom, a carriage supported on'the track, a convoyingbucket;suspended from the carriage, locking ineans for maintaining thebucket in load-receiving condition, means for causing the traversing ofthe carriage and bucket along the track, an arm pivotally supported onthe carriage and free to have a limited rocking movement. and adaptedwhen rocked to act on the locking means torelease the bucket fordischarge, a cable connccted with the said arm and movable there with,and means under the control of the operator for arresting the movementof said cable whereby the arm is caused to be rocked and to operate thelocking means.

2. The combination of a supporting framework. a track extendingtherefrom, a carriage movable along the track, power driven meansconnected with the carriage for moving it along the track, a conveyingbucket suspended from the carriageihaving bottom closing doors, a togglelock supported on the carriage and connected with the doors, holdinglhemclosed, an arm pivoted in the carriage and arranged to act upon thvtoggle, lock to break it and pormitthe doors to open, a mhlc connectedwith the arm near itfree PM and freely movable therewith as thv 'czu'riage traverses the track, and means under the control of the operator fm'arrusting Ilw muvvment of the cable at will whereby the arm is rocked tobreakthe toggle lockl DORALD FRASER.

Witnesses:

C. W. LEVALLL'IY, \V. G. SARGENT.

